3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Wednesday 1/15/24

The college basketball season is rolling along, giving us plentiful betting options with so many teams in action each day.

Fortunately, we have abundant tools available that can aid our chances of finding good betting value. Bart Torvik and KenPom are excellent sources that give insights into team-level efficiency, and Sports Reference provides a wide range of useful team stats, as well.

Let's check out FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and select some of the best bets of the day by utilizing the mentioned tools.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

Today's Best College Basketball Betting Picks

California at North Carolina

Over 160.5 Total Points (-110)

Cal and North Carolina will meet in an ACC matchup on Wednesday that's sure to feature plenty of offense. This game carries the second-highest total (160.5) on Wednesday's slate, but it may not be high enough. With both sides performing better on offense than defense, this is an intriguing spot to back the over.

North Carolina ranks 32nd in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency metric, whereas Cal is 64th. The Tar Heels are 40th in adjusted defense, but their 11th-ranked tempo has caused them to give up plenty of buckets. They've been better in ACC play, but UNC still sports the conference's second-worst scoring defense on the year.

They've been particularly friendly to the top offenses on their schedule, and that's resulted in a number of high-scoring games. They've played 10 teams ranked inside the top 100 of KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency metric; those games have averaged 165.1 total points and 75.6 possessions. The ACC average for such games is only 146.9 total points and 68.3 possessions.

But Cal has had similar issues. Their 243rd-rated adjusted defense has let up 87.3 points over four games against top-50 offenses. Those four games averaged 163.3 total points.

Cal has played in high-scoring affairs when facing fast-paced teams, too. In three games against top-100 tempo teams, Bears games have averaged 162 total points.

UNC hasn't let slower-paced teams halt the scoring, either. Their 12 games against teams outside the top 100 for adjusted tempo still averaged 161.8 total points.

Bart Torvik projects 168 total points for this matchup -- well above this 160.5-point over/under. Considering how both sides have played when facing similar opponents, I'm happy to back the model here and grab over 160.5 at -110 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Kansas at Iowa State

Hunter Dickinson (KU) Over 26.5 Pts + Reb (-106)

Wednesday's biggest game takes place in Ames, Iowa when No. 9 Kansas visits No. 2 Iowa State. I hesitate to back either side of this 6.5-point spread, but we can certainly find value in the prop market. With Jayhawks star Hunter Dickinson averaging 16.5 points and 11.3 rebounds over their first four conference games, this is a spot to target the over on his 26.5 points + rebounds (PRs) prop.

For the season, Dickinson is averaging 15.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. That's down from the 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds he averaged last season, but he's still pacing the Jayhawks with a 27.9% usage rate (per Bart Torvik). That dip in production can likely be attributed to a downtick in minutes as the big man is averaging 4.1 fewer minutes per game this season.

But we've seen Kansas extend his leash a handful of times, and that's helped his counting stats. Dickinson has exceeded 25 minutes eight times; in those games, he's averaged 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds (good for 30.4 PRs). He's cleared 26.5 PRs in six of eight games playing more than 25 minutes.

In a road date with the No. 2 team in the country, I'd expect Kansas to give Dickinson as much run as he can handle. He was ejected after playing 24 of the first 30 minutes when Kansas faced Duke but totaled a season-high 35 minutes in their only other game against a top-15 KenPom team (Michigan State).

Now, Iowa State is one of the best defenses in the country, ranked 10th by KenPom's adjusted defense. But their five games against top 50 KenPom teams have averaged 156.4 points, so I think we could get more scoring than this game's 143.5-point over/under would otherwise indicate.

It doesn't hurt that Dickinson shredded the Cyclones on the road last season. Though KU lost by 4, their big man went for 20 points and 15 rebounds, hoisting his fourth-most shot attempts (18) of the season.

In what feels like a must-win game for Kansas, expect Hunter Dickinson to see more minutes than usual. That puts him in a nice spot to clear 26.5 combined points and rebounds -- something he's done in two of his first four Big 12 matchups.

Illinois State at Drake

Drake -9.5 (-110)

Illinois State-Drake may not carry as much excitement as some of the high-major games on tonight's slate, but it's a big one for the Missouri Valley Conference. Drake -- the MVC's top-rated team (75) on KenPom -- has dropped two of their last four games following a 12-0 start to the season. But they bounced back with a 23-point victory in their most recent home game, and I like them to cover on their home floor again tonight.

The Bulldogs have been borderline dominate at home this season, boasting an 8-1 record and +20.3 average point differential. Six of those victories came against Division I opponents, and five of those came via double-digits.

Illinois State enters with a 146 ranking on KenPom, though they've been primarily carried by their 96th-rated offense. But the Redbirds are 299th in adjusted tempo, resulting in them ranking just sixth in the conference in scoring. They do boast the conference's second-highest three-point attempt rate, and they're shooting a blistering 40.4% from beyond the arc.

But Drake's strength lies on the defensive end where they rank 61st in adjusted defense and second nationally in scoring defense. They've limited opponents to a measly 33.5% three-point attempt rate on their home floor, holding them to a 27.5% three-point field goal percentage.

Illinois State also just hasn't fared well against the better defenses on their schedule. They've lost to five of the best six defenses they've faced (by adjusted defensive efficiency) and managed just 51 points the last time they faced a top 125 defense.

With these two sides headed in opposite directions, I'll jump at the opportunity to back Drake to cover as 9.5-point home favorites tonight.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.